The Food and Drug Administration is stepping up itsfight against counterfeit and other potentially harmful medicine soldover the Internet.

The agency is ordering operators of about 4,100 websites toimmediately stop selling unapproved medications to U.S. consumers.

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The FDA has sent warning letters to three companies behind most of thewebsites. It's also seized some illegal medicines, filed civil andcriminal charges against companies and people, and contacted Internetregistrars and service providers, asking them to suspend the 4,100websites.

Those efforts are part of a global crackdown on online sellers ofcounterfeit and illegal medical products. Interpol, the internationalpolice agency, says about $10.5 million worth of medicines were seizedworldwide last week and more than 18,000 illegal pharmacy websiteswere shuttered.